A Rough Reunion
by FreudTastic
Summary: Every time he faces him, he aches deep inside. Every time he as much as talk about him, his body yearns for something. But for what? To fight, or to embrace? To hate, or to love? Rumble's thoughts are many whenever he faces off against the Dean of Demolitions. How will he sort them out? Rated M for future chapters involving sexual hints and content, and foul language.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: League of Legends belong to Riot Games; I do not own League of Legends or any of its characters, this is a purely fan-made fiction.**

* * *

Ugh, he hated doing on-field repairs like these… but they had to be done, otherwise he'd might as well consider himself incapacitated for the rest of the fight. The blue-furred, golden-eyed Yordle known as 'Rumble' was sitting in the Blue Team's fountain as his trustworthy "steed" – his machine only known as 'Tristy' – had been shut down for the moment and now stood in a crouched position near him to allow him to reach her husk and open it up… inside was a mess of cables, wires and gears which most people would get a headache of thinking up which thing went where… but not Rumble. He could solve these things in his sleep by now, not that any of it bothered him anyway. He was glad with being able to solve problems that easily… the hard part was that not even he knew what the problem was sometimes. The 'Mechanized Menace' had to admit himself that some things about his machine remained pure mysteries.

"C'mon now Tristy… don't croak on Papa Rumb' now…" he grumbled with a wrench stuck in-between his lips as he pulled aside a few cord-forests to reveal a large loose bolt, spitting the wrench out into his hand to screw it back into place. Unbeknownst to him, their Marksman for the match was creeping up on him, and without further warning proceeded to bonk Rumble on the head with the butt of her large mini-gun. "Stop lazing around you Dorkasaurus Rex! There's stuff to wreck! And people to kill~" the ever-gleeful and sadistic voice of Jinx would ring in Rumble's ears like the voice of a grim reaper… a very colorful, scantily-clad and gun-crazed reaper. He merely grumbled and rubbed the top of his head a little. "If you didn't happen to notice, _Jinx_… my machine is not in top-gear. If I can't get Tristy working again I might as well tell my Summoner to disregard me from the fight altogether."

"Booooooooo-ring~! You're no fun. It's always more fun when it's risky!" the gun-toting lady merely responded with her wicked grin, just before her Support re-spawned in the form of the ever-bright Solari Warrior Leona. The armored lady gave Jinx a glare that could resemble a mother's scorn, but Rumble paid no heed as he was too busy fixing his machine, but could hear their arguing; Leona blaming Jinx for getting reckless and leaving her behind to get picked off by the enemy Jungler, and Jinx retaliating with that she managed to get a Double Kill and could've gotten a Triple if the enemy Support hadn't gotten away. At the end though, Jinx merely grumbled "surly-pants" at Leona and ran off towards Bottom Lane again with a gleeful 'Whee' and swinging her guns around as usual, whilst Leona pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Such an unruly child…" she muttered, before unsheathing her sword and bringing up her large shield, ready for battle anew. "Rumble, not to rush you, but-"

"I know, I know. Gotta be ready for the final push." He interrupted Leona who was admittedly shocked at Rumble speaking up like that, but nevertheless it managed to crack forth a soft smile on Leona's face as the Solari would merely nod and rush off to aid Jinx in her dangerous escapades. "Hey, Leona!" Rumble called out to the woman who surprisingly enough stopped in her tracks to heed him out. "Yes, Rumble?" she called out, causing Rumble himself to get a bit silent too; he was always so unused when actually getting acknowledged by others, even when being on the Fields of Justice like this… but oh well. He merely looked over to her whilst also fixing up the last little patches on Tristy. "Does… anyone know where the enemy's Middle Lane is?" he asked in slight caution in case the enemy's Middle Lane was roaming around the Rift looking to pick on his own lane; the Top Lane. The Solari would think for a while, before shaking her head. "Sadly, I do not know where he is. Katarina has-"

"He's no longer in Middle." A voice cut them off as Katarina warped into the fountain, just having recalled as the Du Couteau sibling would flick her daggers into their sheathes again before tossing some gold at the Shop-Keeper Yordle and pluck out a couple of Potions from the stand. "I just got back from pushing to their Middle Tower… I have not seen him for quite a while since I first got a kill on him." The Sinister Blade's words got Rumble to become a little anxious, his heart skipping a beat or two in his small chest as he listened intently on the Noxian's explanations. Normally he would've not listened to her as he distrusted people from both Noxus and Zaun – and for good reasons too – but their match had not gone too well by now, and they needed every single advantage they could get. That was not what got him worried, though… it was the fact of _who_ it was she was talking about. He did not know if he could face him without losing his temper. He knew it'd either end in him losing focus in the fight… or make him unwilling to fight altogether. "Hey, fuzz-ball. Yordle…" the sharp words of the equally sharp-bladed Noxian would snap him out of it as he shook his head a little to focus on Katarina. "What's up with you? You were staring into empty air for a moment." She didn't really care about the Yordle, but Leona had brought it to her attention by calling out his name as well, but Rumble had not responded. Still a bit dumbfounded from his deep thoughts being interrupted, he spoke in a slight mumble

"U-Uh… yeah I'm fine…" he spoke as he merely got back to fixing up Tristy with the final touches as Katarina merely shrugged and gave a wry look at Rumble before running back to Middle, and Leona had to go assist Jinx as she ran off as quickly as her armored frame could. Rumble stood still in the fountain, looking up at his machine for a while as he merely gave off a short sigh, patting his mechanical monster a little before giving a smile to himself. "Don't worry, Rumble…" he said to himself as he hopped up into the cockpit, revving his machine up as it slowly got to life with a loud sputtering and hissing, standing up in its full glory. "You'll pull this off… you'll be fine, yeah?" reassuring himself one last time with a soft smile, he ventured off to Top Lane again…

* * *

A resounding ***CLONG*** went off as a large hammer weapon struck the force-field generated around Rumble's mechanic monstrosity when his Scrap Shield went off, shielding him barely from the impact of the hammer but still sent him staggering backwards as Rumble would grit his teeth and hiss at his opponent, being quite a handsome man with Hextech gear adorning his outfit and armed with a large golden hammer in his hands, resting on his shoulders by now as he merely gave a self-satisfied smirk over at Rumble. "Hmf… feel free to give up now." He stated in a somewhat cocky, but self-assured manner as Rumble merely spat at him. "To hell with ya, Piltover pansy!" he snapped at his opponent, being Jayce, as he would punch a few buttons on his machines and his cannon came to life, spewing out a vivid stream of flames at his opponent as Jayce merely leaped to the side, his hammer quickly coming to life as the sides of it expanded and opened up as his hammer suddenly turned to a cannon, which he now held and aimed for Rumble as he'd send out a well-aimed Shock Blast for the Yordle. He was blindsided by the projectile as it exploded upon Tristy's frame, sending Rumble back even more as his machine was slightly electrified.

"G-Ggh… c-c'mon Tristy, move!" Rumble snarled as he slammed and whacked at his machine with Jayce merely looking on in teasing amusement, giving off a chuckle at the little creature's struggles. "S-S-Shut up, long-legs!" the mechanic barked back at him as Jayce's smug smirk returned. "Or else what, you're gonna throw more insults at me? I'm _so_ terrified…" the sarcasm seethed from his lips as he merely spun his hammer around in his hands, the cannon nozzle shrinking back to its original hammer shape in mid-spin as he'd wield it over his shoulders again, tapping the handle of it along his body as he spoke. "You know… you're not too different from one Yordle we've got at the Academy. He was sort of like you are now when he first came in; an embarrassed little pile of fur. But he's gone as far as you have… heck, I might say even fur-" he was cut off as a huge harpoon sizzling with electricity barely whizzed past his head, scraping up his skin a bit and causing him to groan in discomfort from the jolt of electric currents running through the wound.

"Don't… you dare… speak of him… two-legger." Rumble's voice was a deep, threatening growl now as Tristy had its main weapon slot smoking hot from firing the harpoon, readying a second one right away. "He… is _**nothing**_ like you bunch of geeks! He's no sell-out!" he smashed the button again as another harpoon shot right out from the slot as Jayce merely sighed and slammed his hammer into the ground butt-first, causing small rocket extensions on the handle to burst to life as he flew up in mid-air temporarily to avoid the projectile, landing quickly again. "Still thinking we treat Yordles as mere pets, I see… you truly are stubbo-" interrupted again as that huge spiked ball on Rumble's machine came for him as he raised his weapon, the hammer and mace colliding with a resounding ***GONG*** sound as both of them got pushed away from the impact. He had to admit, Rumble's mech was pretty strong. "Better stubborn and loyal… than a mere pawn to humans." The blue-furred boy grunted out as he steadied Tristy into an upright position and aimed her weapons for Jayce anew. "… Yordles in that Academy turn into nothing but pawns for you humans… especially with Hair-for-Brains Heimer at the helm. And nothing can make me change tha-"

***Beep, beep, beep***

Three loud beeps caught the attention of the mechanic as he quickly gazed down, only to see something he really didn't want to see right now.

A huge satchel full of explosives. Ticking away slowly.

_**He**_ was close.


	2. Anger

Rumble had a mere split-second to react as he quickly threw his hands for the levers and wheels of his dashboard as he would spin and twist them like a mad-man to get Tristy to move away from the object on the ground, and he was luckily out of its way in just the nick of time as the satchel of explosives went off with a deafening bang, sending debris in the form of metal shards and dirt scattering in all directions, the force of the blast sending Rumble's machine skidding backwards a bit as the mechanic made it raise its arm a bit to shield him from the dust flying through the air, but the moment he lowered it he saw a shape he did not want to see right now;

It was about as tall as he was, maybe just a tad taller as it was tossing something spherical up and down in its hand, the dust finally settling as a blast suit was revealed being worn upon the figure, accompanied with a thick helmet and green goggles, two big feline-looking ears sticking out from the helmet… and last but not least that all-too-familiar, face-splitting Cheshire Cat grin, teeth having a cigarette lodge in-between them that constantly streamed out a soft line of nicotine smoke. The dust fully settled, and the figure came into full sight. A figure that made Rumble slightly grit his teeth as his clutches on the handles and levers only got tighter.

"_**Ziggs…"**_ he almost seethed out of his clenched teeth as the Yordle in question was standing in front of him defiantly, and whilst Rumble's machine towered over him he still wore that grin oh-so calmly whilst facing him. "Yo, Rumble!" he waved up at him casually as he then looked back at Jayce. "Hey, J-Man, go back to base and recover, alright? I've got this!" he spoke with a soft cackle as he kept tossing the unlit bomb in his hand up and down, Jayce merely having a slightly confused expression on his face, but giving the Hexplosives Expert a nod. "Alright then, thanks for backing me up Ziggs.." he spoke as he began to recall, but Rumble had other plans. "Like hell I'll let ya!" he shouted as an Electro-Harpoon shot right out of Tristy's weapon slot, but instead of striking Jayce it struck something that came in its firing trajectory; a bomb, which exploded violently as the electrified javelin made contact with it. The fiery blast died down quick enough as Jayce had returned, only Ziggs and Rumble remaining now as the blue-furred Yordle growled in an agitated manner. "What the hell did ya go and do that for, Ziggs!?" he exclaimed as the brown-furred one merely scratched his nose with a smirk.

"Don' want my team-mates to get hurt ya'know!" he spoke with a chuckle as he soon plucked out another bomb from one of his pockets, tossing that up and down now instead. "Besides, I didn't feel like stickin' around Middle Lane anymore… Kat makes it boring." He said as he briefly teased Katarina without the red-haired assassin knowing of it. Rumble just scowled over at Ziggs. "Team-mates!? He's a Piltover lap-dog! No, in fact, he's the HEAD of all the lap-dogs!" he'd exclaim. Ziggs merely sighed and shook his head. "Man, Rumby…" that nick-name. It caught Rumble by surprise as he would just look at him in surprise. How did he… no time to think of that now as he saw Ziggs pull out a second bomb and slowly starting to juggle both of them. "Y'know, I did remember you were thick-headed an' what-not, but this just takes the cake! I'm part of a _team_, Rumble. I've gotta look out for my team, as you gotta look after yers. No need to get on a personal level with this." Rumble had no time to answer or reply to Ziggs' statements as the demolition expert would suddenly grab hold of his bombs firmly, lighting one of them up with his cig as sparks flew from the fuse and he would not hesitate to quickly throw it right for Rumble.

The blue-furred Yordle was of course quick to respond as he would pull his levers firmly and Tristy would leap aside, the bomb bouncing a few times before exploding in a flash of fire and dirt as debris scattered near Rumble. He'd groan in discomfort as he saw Ziggs light up his second one whilst pulling out a bomb to replace the one he threw. "Not so fast!" Rumble shouted as he would make his machine rush right for Ziggs, catching the bombardier by surprise as Tristy's spiked ball would come rushing for him which made him leap backwards as the metal ball crashed into the ground, denting it inwards firmly as a small crater remained in the dirt-road of the Top Lane after its impact. "Phew! Yer machine still packs a whole lotta punch!" he called out as he landed a few feet away from the smashing grounds as Rumble glared firmly at Ziggs, not letting him out of his sight. Still, the comment he made on his machine made Rumble somewhat soften up in his expression as if feeling honored and acknowledged for his achievements, but that brief feeling of joy was replaced with concern as he suddenly saw Ziggs drop something behind him as the maniacal-looking Yordle grinned wider, the thing behind him suddenly blasting sky-high as it was another satchel. "BOMBS AWAY~!"

With his well-famed battle-cry issued Ziggs would come flying through the air and throw a large coin-purse-looking container right for Rumble, who instinctively made Tristy leap backwards before his eyes would widen from seeing the container unwinding itself and opening up, as mines would rain out from it and down upon Rumble as many of them hit the ground, but a lot of them also came for Rumble and his machine. Reaching out to activate his Scrap Shield he hoped with every fiber of his body that he would react in time… but too late. The mines came inside of his cockpit as they detonated all inside of his machine and sent him flying out of it. Not the first time he had been forcibly ejected out of his machine, but definitely not the last one either, Rumble would sail through the air a good distance forward as he then crashed into the ground, tumbling around in the dirt until he came to a halt just a few feet in front of Ziggs. His machine was burning inside its cockpit from the damage it took, several systems damaged and needing of repairs as it just laid there as a wreckage in the background whilst Ziggs surveyed the damage he had caused with a slight smirk. "Heh, my mines never cease to surprise." He chuckled, but then turned to Rumble as he saw him lying in the dirt, face-down with several burned patches of fur on his body and a few bruises from the landing.

"Hm… maybe I shouldn't of thrown them at him." The cat-like Yordle sighed as he had to admit he had a little bit of a control issue there in terms of throwing his bombs. He always liked to throw them right for his targets rather than near them as that just gave the better results according to him, but seeing Rumble this bruised and his machine being damaged just did not suit with him. So he jogged up quickly to Rumble until he stood before him, kneeling down quickly to reach out for him with a gentle smile. "H-Hey, Rumby? You um… you okay? Sorry I kinda threw 'em right at ya, ehe… you okay?" he asked as he'd gently nudge Rumble's head. He could feel it, and the moment Ziggs' hand touched his head his hand would shoot right up to grip along Ziggs' wrist. But it was not a gentle and grateful grip to show he was grateful of being helped up… it was a firm, almost vice-like grip to keep him still as he would lift his head slowly to stare up at Ziggs, his face really bruised as well. "… A-Am I… o-okay?! O-Oh yeah… haven't felt better in _**ages**_!" he spoke with a mixture of heavy anger and sarcasm as he would merely push Ziggs' hand away from him and slowly rise up onto his feet, admittedly wobbling and wincing quite a few times as he soon stood up on his own two feet.

"U-Um… Rumby, yer not angry at me, r-"

"_**DON'T CALL ME THAT!"**_ Rumble cut off Ziggs before he had the chance to continue even a bit of that sentence as he suddenly lunged right for him and delivered a surprise sucker-punch to the side of Ziggs' face. Rumble was quite a hard hitter even if he himself did not want to admit it, and Ziggs now got to know that up-close and personal as he felt his face getting smacked quite hard by that balled-up fist as it hit him square in the jaw-bone, not dislocating or breaking it but still causing quite an amount of pain as Ziggs gawked audibly and actually spat out a tooth. Rumble had sucker-punched him so hard that a _tooth_ got knocked out. It hurt like hell, he would not deny this, but what numbed out the pain was the mere shock of Rumble punching him like that as he just held his face, staring over at him. "W-What the hell's gotten into ya Rumble?!" he demanded, but not long after that was he grabbed by the collar of his blast uniform and head-butted by the mechanic Yordle, the blue-furred male's forehead smashing into his goggle-covered face as it actually cracked his right-eye goggle lens and dazed Ziggs enough to stagger back and fall on his ass.

"G-Guah!" he groaned out in discomfort as he rubbed his face, but once more felt Rumble's presence looming over him as he felt him grab him by the shoulder, holding him in place and rearing up his hand again. "R-Rumble… w-what the heck… happened…" he managed to gasp out as the head-butt made his world dizzy, unable to speak straight. But Rumble was not listening as he merely balled his hand up to a fist again, holding it high as he aimed for Ziggs again. What was this, indeed? Something seemed to have taken over his senses and yet… he was not fighting it. Not in the slightest… in all honesty, he more or less _**embraced it**_. Something in his mind screamed at him to punch Ziggs in the face. Again and again until he knew what he had done to him; until he realized just how many things he had caused to happen thanks to his life-choice. But at the same time he tried his darn-hardest to not do it, his arm shaking violently as he tried to hold himself back. What was this feeling!? This mixture of anger and… what was the other emotion running through Rumble's mind? His grip on Ziggs softened up all of a sudden, but before he had a chance to let go of him…

A loud ***CLANG*** ringing in his ears.

An immense pain in the back of his head.

And then, darkness… sweet, yet frightening darkness.


	3. Memories of Joy

"U-Uuah… uuaaggh…" grumbling noises were heard from the infirmary of the Institute as a certain Yordle came to life again, a heavy beating being felt in his head as it felt like a war-drum was banging in the back of his head and the battle did not go in his favor. Another groan escaped his lips as he reached back to feel that his fur and hair had been obscured by a bandage wrapped around his head, covering most of the scalp of his head as he sighed softly. "… What happened back there?" he asked himself with a groan as he looked around himself. "This… isn't the Rift…" he thought he was speaking for himself for a while until a voice would startle him a bit;

"Damn right it isn't. And be glad for it, too…" the voice was angered and female-sounding, and the moment Rumble looked towards the door to his room he saw a young lady standing by the door, pink hair hanging down in messy, spiked locks in a rather "punk-like" manner and with large mechanical gauntlets attached to her lower arms. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was; the more forceful arm of the law in Piltover city, Vi. And she did not look amused. "Otherwise I would'a flattened your skull between my gloves." She spoke and bashed her fists together with a resounding, yet soft bang. This made Rumble recall what happened, if only flashes of it; his fist going across Ziggs' face, him gripping him by the collar, and preparing to do it all over again… dear Valoran, what came over him back there? He would lift his hands slightly to look upon them, both in slight disbelief and… self-disgust. He was appalled with himself of how he could have done something like this to someone he considered his _friend_…

Friend… could he even call Ziggs that anymore? It had been so long since he considered Ziggs to be his friend until he moved to Bandle City to 'settle down' and 'check out the Academy'. Nowadays he practically **_lived_** there and conducted his scientific advances and experiments all day long. And that was possibly what was the hardest for Rumble to accept; that he had moved on with his life instead of being stuck where Rumble was. He had admittedly managed to make a living for himself in Bandle City… but he also knew how Ziggs always used to strive for bigger things and grander places in the world. Still, to have changed this much since their… their childhood… it was too much for Rumble to ingest at once, and as such he had never fully grasped the reality of it. Why… why did Ziggs do it? If he was so happy with Rumble in Bandle City, despite the limited resources they had… why did he _leave_?

"… Um, hell-o? Runeterra to Rumble, do ya hear me?" a rough and blunt poke to the side of his head broke him from his thoughts as Vi was seen tapping an over-sized finger against his head, as he merely growled slightly and pushed her hand away. "Hey now, don't get snappy with me you little brat, or I'll definitely punch you. You tell me right now why the hell you went berserk on Ziggs like that." She demanded as she sat down on his hospital bed, looking down at him as she had a look of curiosity on her face. Some slight hints of anger were still there, but now it was majorly curiosity. She wanted to know why he did it and what made him lose control like that. A heavy sigh drawing from his lips, and Rumble would begin to tell her; "… I don't know." He began, which seemed to disappoint the feisty lady, but Rumble held up his hand, signaling he was not done. "I just… I can't put my hand on it. I just got this… this immense burst of feelings inside me when Ziggs began to… show concern for me, and call me by my nickname…" he looked down at his hands which had lowered back to his bed-sheets, clutching them firmly.

"I-I just… I dunno! One moment I was just wanting to punch and kick and scream at him… w-which I kinda did, at least the punching part…" he tried his hardest to explain, but since he was a Yordle who never really delved deep into his emotions, it was hard for him to explain it. "A-And on the other half, I… I-I just…" he would quickly look away from both his hands and from Vi now, his body shaking slightly from having to try and explain what went through his little mind. The pink-haired lady seemed to understand that he was in a lot of confusion, for she merely nodded a little and went off the bed, Rumble feeling the suspension of the bed easing up as he looked over to her and seeing her leave. "Y'know, I kinda did hit you too hard in the head. Maybe you just need time to recover." She said with a bit of a smirk. "Oh and before you worry it off your shoulders about Ziggs… he's fine, just missin' a tooth from what you did to him. Other than that he's a-okay." For some reason that lifted a huge amount of pressure from Rumble's shoulders which sort of felt like it held him down to the bed, as he sat upright quickly when he heard what Vi said. "H-He's alright?! G-Gah!" he grunted as he held the back of his head, which made Vi chuckle a bit. "Yup, definitely hit ya too hard! But don't worry, just lie down and rest for now, okay?" and with that, she left the room as Rumble slowly but surely sank back underneath the covers of his bed, looking up at the ceiling above. What… just exactly _what_ was that other sensation he felt amidst all that anger?

* * *

_He was dreaming now. He was pretty sure it was a dream at least because everything suddenly seemed a bit bigger around him than he usually remembered them to be. Was this a dream though, or a distant memory haunting him? He was not sure but it did involve him being a toddler again, just being outdoors on the streets of Bandle City and wandering around slowly with a toy-car tied to a string rolling happily behind him. He had built it himself with some scrap-pieces and was so proud of it, and he had decided that today was the day he would take it out for a go. He was so happy that day even with how much he had been bullied before, and probably would be even that day, that he felt nothing could take him down. Not even the bullies that oh-so frequently sought to make his life miserable! He wanted this to be a happy day and felt that nothing would change that…_

_There was a loud *CRUNCH* heard behind him as he would stop dead in his tracks, hearing the sounds of a foot grinding something metallic into the ground and then kicking it away, a few soft rattles and clatters breaking the otherwise numbing silence afterwards as Rumble looked down to his toy car… stomped to bits with several pieces of it lying scattered across the road. Then he heard the familiar words; "Hahah! Look at this! Little ol' Rumb-Dumb is outta his home again!" a sharp, piercing laughter smothered his hearing quickly after the insults were thrown at him, before his ears folded back onto his head as a soft whimper escaped his throat. "Aaaaw, the lil' runt is gonna cwy! Gonna cwy for mommy!" more laughter echoed in his head, his eyes welling up with tears as they quickly broke down and ran along his cheeks, and with a quick motion he turned around, gathered up what pieces of the car that he could and then bolted off._

_"__L-LEAVE ME ALONE!" he yelled in a mixture of anger and sobbing as he felt a lump sticking firmly to the back of his throat, blocking off nearly all breathing as he choked on his tears and tried to swallow it down as hard as he could, his running never ceasing, not even as his torturers were far behind him. He had to get away… he just had to get away. To his safe place. Just get away from it all… finally he would reach said 'safe place' which ironically was a not too safe place to be at; Bandle City's junkyard. He would dive right into the midst of it by quickly and quite agilely leap over the fence barring it off to the rest of the city, landing in a heap of mattresses that he had gathered there just for that reason. No one bothered to really 'organize' the yard anyway considering it was just trash and scrap metal there, so this little entry point of his was always safe. When he had landed on the mattresses he firmly pressed his back to the planks of the fence… and just cried. His flood-gates brimming over as he finally released them made his tears literally stream down his fur-covered face as he hugged the remnants of his toy to his chest like it was a dear departed, not letting go of them for anything in the world as he just kept sobbing quietly, but it gradually got a little bit louder._

_Why… why did they have to keep coming back for him? Why did they keep ruining his life like it was their sole purpose to exist? It was just so agonizing… so truly, utterly agonizing to have his life and happiness shattered by them each and every day. He was tired of it. So sick and tired of it all. Sometimes he wished he could just- "Hello?! Anyone there? I could hear a lotta cryin'!" his ears flicked right up as he snapped his head up on attention, his eyes still a bit dimmed from all the tears as he tried to see who was calling for him. He wiped them clear only to see a rather odd sight; another Yordle boy, about his age if not a year or two older due to his height advantage over Rumble, who was more feline-looking than Rumble, wearing goggles on his head just like Rumble usually did, but his were slightly bigger and had green lenses instead of see-through ones. At first the blue-furred Yordle was a bit shocked to see someone else here at his secret place, but that was suddenly replaced by being defensive as he frown and quickly stood up by sliding himself up along the plank wall._

_"__W-What're you going here?" he demanded as he'd squeeze the car remnants to his chest. "How do you know of this place?" This was his secret spot! No one knew about this, not even if they went this deep into the junkyard would they find out about it. The other boy just chuckled a little with a smile. "Well it wasn't that hard to find ya! You were bawling your eyes out like no tomorrow!" he explained as he just drew forth another chuckle, and Rumble admittedly blushed a bit out of embarrassment. True, he was kind of loud at this point if he had heard himself. The other boy merely walked up towards Rumble slowly, looking down at him. "Eeeh? Yer kinda short for your age, or are you just crouching down a bit?" he asked as he looked down, only to get a fist to the nose. The punch was not powerful but it made the other boy hold his face. "OW! What was that for?!" he demanded, only to see Rumble frowning in a determined fashion. "… Don't… call me short." He spoke, before his expression softened up. "I-I'm sorry, I-" but the other one merely interrupted him with a smile._

_"__Hey, I getcha. No fun bein' teased about your height, yeah?" he said as he just smiled at Rumble. Such a smile he had, too… it was big and slightly teeth-baring, but it was… genuine. It was pure. He had never experienced such a smile before. "Now, what's that ya got there?" he then asked and prodded his finger at the remnants of the car in Rumble's arms. Again Rumble acted on instinct and quickly pulled them closer to himself. "Dude, relax! I ain't gonna destroy it!" the other boy said as Rumble merely sighed. "Well… it is already destroyed… it, uh… g-got hit by a cart…" he said as he would show the broken-down piece of the flattened car to the other Yordle as he peered over it. "Hum… must'a been a super-heavy cart or something! This thing's smushed ta bits!" he spoke, not in an insulting manner, but a funny-sounding one. He tried being humorous it seemed. At first Rumble did not buy it, but after a while he kinda saw the fun in it and gave off a soft chuckle. "H-Heh… funny.." he spoke as the other boy grinned._

_"__Well no worries! I can help ya fix that up in no time! How 'bout we scour around here for a bit, eh?" he'd ask, holding his hand out for Rumble. Utter shock froze Rumble in his movements, not knowing what to do now. Would he trust what this stranger boy was telling him? Or was he just luring him to another team of bullies? He did not seem like that type though… he felt like he could trust him. Giving a wry smile, Rumble would nod, and take the boy's hand._

_"__Y-Yeah… sounds great…"_

_"__Awesome! I know a great place to look for-"_

_"__R-Rumble…"_

_"… __Eh? What's that?"_

_"__R-Rumble… my name… i-it's Rumble."_

_"__Heh, Rumble eh? That's a nice name! Me? I'm…"_


	4. Frustration

"… Ziggs."

Rumble had finally awoken again from his deep slumber and his dream… no, his memory of his childhood. He was fairly sure now it was a memory and not just a pleasant dream. He had remembered the day when he and Ziggs first met each other and then dreamed about it all. It was a very nice memory that he had if he had to be honest, one that he had stored deep in the back of his mind so that all of his negative memories would not suffocate it and leave it to rot. It was one of the very few good memories he had of his life and he cherished it with all his little heart for as long as he could day in and day out. Admittedly his life had only "begun" so to speak since he was merely a young adult by now, but it still felt like a million things had transpired in his life and he had just tagged along, either being passive and not doing a whole lot or taking action and getting berated and scolded for it. But then there were these little bits of his memories that actually had been worth taking action in. Had he not reached for Ziggs' hand that day he might as well not have known him at all. And right now, that was what was making him worried too.

It felt like a fist had sunk itself deep into his gut with a violent punch and knocking all the breath out of him that he had. He had gone out of his way and punched Ziggs. His one and only remaining childhood friend… what had he done? What came over him? Was it just because he was with Piltover now and some primal side in the back of his head saw him as nothing but a traitor and sell-out Yordle by now? No, he could not view Ziggs like that! He wasn't Heimerdinger! He was his one and only remaining friend! Yet… why did he attack him like he did? Even knocking out a tooth from his mouth… slowly sitting up on his bed again and leaning onto the bedframe Rumble would sigh and look down upon his hands again. Each time he looked upon them by now he was washed over with this incredible sense of disgust… he was disgusted with himself, and how he could've just gone off and done something like that. It wasn't him… it just couldn't be him. Something else was in control of him when he did it. It had to be! Yet…

"Rumble…" a voice cut him off as he glanced upwards, only to gasp as he saw who stood in the doorframe; Ziggs. The Hexplosive Yordle was standing at the entrance of his room and had a few bandages around his head as well. His left cheek was slightly swollen from where Rumble had punched him, and whilst Rumble did not see it now he had a small gap in his grin where his knocked-out tooth used to be. And yet… he smiled at him as he stood there. Rumble was silent, not knowing what to say or do with Ziggs being here for him as he just sighed, looking away from him. "C'mon now, Rumble…" Ziggs would approach him as he then hopped up onto his bed, sitting up on it as he looked at Rumble. "Look at me…" it would take some time for Rumble to replicate that order, but he would do it as his head turned to look at Ziggs.

"Ziggs, I'm just sorry I-" then his eyes locked upon something he had not seen earlier; Ziggs' eyes. His goggles were off his head as well as his helmet, as he now revealed his eyes underneath; they were shimmering, endless pools of emerald green, just like his goggle lenses were. He was awestruck, the breath escaping him completely as he just looked at him with his mouth slightly open. He had never seen Ziggs' eyes before, or at least not in a very long time since their childhood… but just looking into them now made him swell up with emotions again. Joy being the first and foremost of them as he was finally able to see his childhood friend in the eyes again… but then came sadness, remembering the last time he saw those eyes… and then frustration. "… Ziggs…" he asked, his voice toned with a bit of demand as Ziggs cocked his head a bit with a soft 'Hm?' as he looked over at the blue-furred Yordle.

"… Why did you join up with Piltover?" Rumble asked without hesitation as his tiny fists dug into the covers of the bed, his gaze lowered down to his hands as Ziggs would take some time before letting out a heavy sigh. "Rumble, you know why I left for Piltover. I wanted to improve. An' Bandle City was just not cutting it for me. I mean sure everyone was helpful and caring for me as few, but they just didn't have the materials or teachings I needed to take my explosives to tha next level, y'know?" he'd scoot slowly towards Rumble now as his hand reached out, gently patting Rumble's thigh. "It's nothin' personal Rumby, ya gotta stop thinking like that… I did it 'cause I wanted to get better." He knew about it. Oh Rumble knew that Ziggs just wanted to improve on his skills as a mechanic and demolition expert… but something just kept blocking his way of thinking like that properly and just made it sound like an excuse to get out of Bandle City. His mind was in utter conflict whenever he brought that statement up.

"… But why?" Rumble began as Ziggs now looked a bit irritated. "Whaddya mean 'why'? I told ya, I wanted to get better! What, isn't me gettin' better at what I do makin' ya happy for me or something?" he asked with a bit of a scowl in his tone now as Rumble winced when he heard his old friend snap at him like that. It hurt him… for some reason it felt like one of Katarina's blade just had come plunging right into his chest and ripped out his heart. He instantly clutched his chest and held it firmly. "G-Gh!" he grunted out as that caught Ziggs' attention immediately. "R-Rumble! Y-You okay buddy?" he asked and crawled right up to Rumble's side, sitting beside him and reaching out for him. But Rumble's mind was working on its own again, and he would instantly reach out to swat his hand away. "D-Don't touch me…" his words were received by irritation from Ziggs who frowned now. "Rumble, I'm only trying to help you! Stop bein' so stubborn and let me help ya out!" he said as he then grabbed Rumble's shoulder firmly. For some reason that firm shoulder-grab registered as danger in Rumble's head. He knew his friend was just being cautious and worried. He knew he reached out to help Rumble like he had done in the past. But the tone of voice he used, the firmness of his grab… it all just went off as negative in his head. And he responded in defense.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!" he'd scream out in Ziggs' face, shoving his hand off of him and shoving Ziggs back, the Yordle landing dangerously close of falling off the bed, but he managed to stay on his back, looking over the edge of the bed as he was shivering slightly at thinking of how bad that could've gone. Rumble was just in deep shock of what had transpired. What… why did he do that? Ziggs was just trying to care for him, and he just shoved him away like that! What… what was going on in his head?! He could not get his thoughts straight, all of it was just one big jumbled mess! He fell to his knees, clutching his head as he groaned audibly, trying to make sense of his mixed-up thoughts as Ziggs saw how conflicted he was… yet he chose to frown and sit up again. "Alright, fine… if ya don't want my help, I'll just leave you to recover then… see ya." He spoke with a huff as he hopped down from the bed and began to march out. Rumble tried to call out for Ziggs… to make him stay a bit longer… but all of his thoughts culminated into a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he was out like a candle.

"Z-Z-Ziggs…" was all he muttered before fully drifting to unconsciousness and sleep again. "I-I'm… s-sorry…"


	5. Regret and Sorrow

The very next day both Rumble and Ziggs were free to leave the infirmary after their little excessive tussle on the Rift, both of them getting a warning from the Summoner Council that if this kind of behavior happened again – especially with Rumble for some reason – they would be banned from fighting in the Rift for an extensive period of time. Rumble seemed to not even take it seriously as his Summoner warned him, merely shrugging and climbing up onto his machine. "Yeah, yeah, whatever… won't happen again I swear." He merely mumbled out as he prepared to head back to Bandle City, revving up his machine and making it take a step forward… until spotting a familiar face looking up at him again. He was silent as he saw Ziggs standing near, looking up at him with a slight frown. "What do _you_ want…" he spoke, unintentionally putting emphasis on 'you' as if he was not wanting to see Ziggs. When in fact… it was a very pleasant surprise to him.

It seemed like his way of speaking however served its cause as Ziggs merely frowned greater up at Rumble. "Well I _was_ going to see you before ya headed off an' what-not, but if you'd rather walk off without it, I guess that's fine too." And with that he walked off, not caring about Rumble briefly reaching out for him and wanting to ask him to stay, though even then Rumble for some reason felt the words being choked in his throat, like they did not want to come out for him. All he could do was watch as Ziggs left ahead without him following. He had felt this before however… the feeling of watching your one and only friend in the whole world walk away from you without any power whatsoever to prevent it from happening. And to be more ironic… it was the same person he tried to stop from walking away. His hand remained frozen in the air for a little bit as he just gasped and stuttered out his breathing, before finally gritting his teeth with a soft 'Tch' coming out from his mouth, before his hand finally bashed onto the dashboard of his machine firmly and was soon joined by his forehead pressing firmly upon the metallic board, eyes shut tightly as a small inkling of a tear was seen gathering at the corner of his right eye. "D-Damn it…" he growled to himself, before wiping off the tear and deciding to head off.

Hands moving to grasp onto the levers and steering wheels anew he would hold them firmly for a second, his glove-clad fingers creaking softly from the leather-like material they were made of as he squeezed his grip firmly around the steering mechanisms, Rumble could only stare forward for a moment as he saw the magic teleportation gate activating slowly, a magic portal spiraling above it which showed Bandle City on the other end of it. It was going to be nice to be home for now, he thought to himself, as he then made Tristy trudge onwards, and through the gate-way…

* * *

"… So what basically happened was that you got in an actual fight with Ziggs because… why?" the voice of Teemo brought Rumble out of his ponderings as the two of them sat in Bandle City's Tavern and just listening to the mumblings in the background accompanied by the occasional semi-drunken slur of one of the patrons either asking for more beer or spewing utter nonsense. The mechanic himself was sitting in his own thoughts, his finger barely circling along the rim of his glass as he just sighed and nodded to the Scout's words which made the badger Yordle draw forth a soft sigh himself. "Rumble, you've gotta stop getting into fights like these… the Summoners have had it up to their heads with how much you more or less insult Piltover Champions lately…" a mere nod came from Rumble as a response as Teemo grumbled in a slightly frustrated manner. "Ngh… talking to you is like talking to a wall of bricks sometimes…"

"… Like I'd care what they think." Rumble suddenly spoke up as Teemo would immediately turn to look at him. "Huh? What do you mean Rumble?" he'd ask as the blue-furred male merely sat up and grabbed his glass, downing the last bit of liquor in it as he sighed from the strong flavor of it. "Let them say whatever they want about me… won't change my opinions." He spoke with a rather crude voice as even the badger had to admit that was a bit too harsh even for one such as Rumble. "… Rumble you can't seriously mean that." He spoke with concern, but Rumble merely glared over at Teemo. "I **_said_**… I. _Don't.__** Care.**_" Each time he spelled out a word, Rumble would poke Teemo firmly in the chest, the final poke sending the Scout falling back onto his seat with a low 'Oof' of discomfort, but Rumble kept going. "They can think whatever they want, but I ain't changing who I am for anything… or any_one_. Piltover can all go screw themselves backwards to hell for all I care…" now **that** was something Rumble would never say. His hatred usually spanned over the Yordles of Piltover, not the whole city-state as a whole. Teemo would have his small eyes wide open as Rumble had spoken.

"Alright, Rumble…" he began as he would slowly move his hand towards Rumble's glass of beer. "I think you've had just about enough now…" before he could even more the glass an inch however he would flinch as Rumble suddenly raised his hand and would expect a slap on the hand, or worst-case scenario his face… but he merely felt the hand fall on his shoulder as he was given a friendly rub on it, with Rumble soon hopping off his seat and nodding. "… Yeah. Yeah, maybe you're right Teemo… I should just… go home." He spoke slowly as he looked over at Teemo who was still rather shocked that Rumble had not hit him or something. "U-Um… s-sure, if you think you. You want me to-"

"No, I… I can find my own way home." He cut off Teemo before he would offer himself to follow Rumble home, as the blue-furred mechanic would merely leave the Tavern and head out on the streets. It was still late in the afternoon, but not quite evening yet. The sun was still in the skies and Yordles of all shapes and sizes were walking around and having a happy day… and then there was him. A miserable, confused pile of fur and frustration who did not know what he was saying or doing right now. Why was he spewing so much hate about Piltover? Was it just because he was drunk? No, he didn't have that many glasses… did he? He was a sturdy Yordle who could handle his booze, he knew this. So why was he speaking the things he did? Was he blaming Piltover for something?

Wandering back to his home as the questions kept coming at him one after the other he would keep pondering over one in particular; was he speaking badly of Piltover because of… Ziggs? Because he decided to move onto Piltover to conduct his research instead of staying in Bandle City with him? No, they didn't force the choice upon Ziggs, he chose to go there on his own will. He could not blame them for that… or could he? These questions were so many, yet Rumble had so few answers to them all. He needed time to answer them all for himself, and once he found himself at the door of his own workshop and home again he would quickly walk inside and seal the door shut, locking himself up inside as he pressed his back to the door, slowly sliding down into a sitting position with his face buried in his hands. How? How would he get the answers he needed? Maybe he just needed to… think a bit. He needed to clear his head… why was he so indecisive about Ziggs? It was so long ago… that day…

* * *

_"__W-What do ya mean, you're leaving?" Rumble could hear himself speak in slight dismay as he soon saw it in front of himself; the edge of Bandle City being in plain sight in his mind now, with him as a mere teenager standing by the entrance gate and looking upon another, slightly older Yordle; Ziggs. A memory he had long since tried to suppress since it was so… painful for him. But right now, he had to think of that day. Maybe it would be the answer to his questions._

_"__C'mon, Ziggs… y-you can't mean that, right?" Rumble asked his friend as he was standing on the road away from Bandle City, out into the big world ahead of him with merely a small trolley full of his explosives, his tools and large rolled-up blueprints. Ziggs merely gave a glance back at Rumble, before turning back to face the road again. "Rumble… I told ya not to come after me, didn't I? So… why are ya here?" he finally turned to face Rumble fully… and there they were. Those emerald pools of life that he called his eyes, just looking at Rumble's own golden ones as the blue-furred male merely looked back in a confused manner. "W-Why am I here? Ain't that obvious, Ziggs? I-I'm… I'm here to make you reconsider! Please, don't… don't leave!" his voice was full of worry and concern for Ziggs, but more than either of those… it was filled with dread. What was he supposed to do after Ziggs had left Bandle City? He had literally nowhere to go on his own, and no one really liked him as much as Ziggs did. He'd be completely alone… but Ziggs did not seem to care about it._

_"__Rumble… my mind is made up, buddy." He spoke firmly, yet calmly as he looked over at Rumble who merely stared with an empty gaze at his friend. His mind was… made up? So he was really going to leave everything he once knew as the best things in the world behind himself? He was going to leave Bandle City… leave the Junkyard… and maybe most importantly, leave __**Rumble**__ behind? Just because of some stupid city-state? He could not take it. He wouldn't have any of it. His saddened face turning into one of slightly contorted anger slowly but steadily, his hands balling up into little fists and teeth grinding together, he just lost it right then and there. __**"F-FINE! THEN YOU KNOW WHAT, JUST GET OUT OF HERE!"**__ Rumble was screaming at him now. For what reason? He could not really recall why he screamed at Ziggs like that since it was so long ago, but he did remember yelling at him. Ziggs was shocked by this, he also remembered, and saw him just look at him with a slack-jawed expression. "R-Rumble, wha-" he had to shield himself as a stone suddenly flew his way, hitting his elbow as he gasped in pain. "W-What the heck!?" he called out as he then saw Rumble picking up another._

_"__G-GET OUT OF HERE! J-JUST TURN YOUR TAIL AND LEAVE!" he kept yelling, and threw another rock at Ziggs, this one bouncing off of his new helmet. A third was picked up and thrown. "T-THAT'S IT! JUST RUN! Y-YOU'RE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!" Rumble's anger was now mixed with tears of sadness, but Rumble paid no such heed to them streaming down his face. He just wanted Ziggs gone and out from Bandle City, and Ziggs seemed happy to comply as he just sighed and gave Rumble a final stare before quickly taking the trolley and dragging it away, leaving Rumble to stare after him. "Y-Y-Y-… YOU BASTARD! Z-ZIGGS, I HATE YOU! __**I HATE YOU!"**__ after his final cry for Ziggs went off, the blue-furred boy finally fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground, his tears now streaming freely along his cheeks and dripping onto the dirt road below him as it got soaked pretty quickly in quite a large patch below him. "Z-Z-Ziggs… d-damn it Ziggs, y-you bastard… I-I-I…"_

* * *

And just like that, it felt that Rumble had found his answer. He remembered what he had said to himself in his sadness and anger, three words that did not involve any hatred or resentment towards the Hexplosive Expert…

"I… I like-"

Suddenly, there was a firm knock on the door. Rumble yelped to himself as he got up on his feet pretty quickly and spun around to face the door. Who was wanting to see him at this hour? It was not incredibly late but it was still approaching evening. Evening, huh? How long had he been sitting here? It mattered little though, as he was going to find out who was wanting to see him at such an hour. Slowly he'd reach for the knob of the door, and even slower did he turn it and push the door open.

"H-Hello? I'm sorry but I'm outta business until morn-"

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Also, apologies to everyone who have been wondering "why doesn't he make an outro on the chapters?" Well, the thing is that I have been writing this thing since yesterday. THAT'S RIGHT! 5 CHAPTERS WITHIN A DAY NOW! What is becoming of me?! Either way, this is just a thing I wanted to do because this ship of mine has been plaguing me for quite a while and I wanted to get something written about it, plus it is also to break through (hopefully) a minor writer's block of mine. So I hope you've all enjoyed this so far, and if you have...**

**PLEASE DO REVIEW! It makes me a happy-panda!**


	6. Reunion

He couldn't believe who he saw standing outside his workshop door. He wanted to reach and pinch himself from seeing who it was and make sure it was not just a dream, or maybe just to do just that and hope he was dreaming. But it was real and he knew it. His breath got choked up in his throat and his face just wore a surprised and shocked expression frozen in place as he saw who it was. Ziggs. Of all persons he could meet upon Runeterra right now, it was _Ziggs._ The brown-furred cat-like Yordle was standing right outside his door and giving a wry smile towards Rumble. His cheek had returned to normal after the swelling from the punch yesterday and as his teeth showed through his smile Rumble did not see a gap in that smile of his. The tooth must've been replaced. The Summoners had their way with healing magic, didn't they? Case-point being he looked as good as new… and he was standing right upon his porch.

"Um… heya, Rumble!" he soon spoke out with a chuckle as Rumble was still trying to find words for seeing Ziggs like this. So far from Piltover just to be here in Bandle City, and more exactly at his home. This was just too good to be true, yet it was true. His jaw was slack and his words did not know where to go as his poor little brain just got more and more jumbled up from the mere presence of the Hexplosive Expert in front of him. "Um… R-Rumble? Mind if I, y'know… come in?" Ziggs was carefully waving a hand in front of Rumble's face as if he has seen a ghost, and Rumble would quickly snap out of his little trance as he shook his head a bit and then looked at Ziggs. "W-Wha, uh… s-sure, I guess…" he'd slowly back up to let Ziggs inside as the other Yordle merely smiled widely as usual as he looked around. "Wow! You've sure made yourself a living here! A lot better than my study dorm back at Piltover!" the moment Piltover was mentioned Rumble felt a fist sinking into his gut again, but this time… he managed to ignore it for some reason. Because Ziggs was literally complementing his living conditions, where his workshop was literally his home. The blue-furred Yordle had never thought of actually getting his own house because he felt it was too much work to be put into such a project. "Y-Yeah, heheh, it's not much… but it is my home, right?" Rumble asked with a nervous chuckle.

Ziggs was now grinning brightly again as he turned to Rumble, patting his shoulder firmly. A wince came from the mechanic as he did so, and Ziggs seemed to catch onto it as he slowly let his shoulder go. "Oh, right, ehe… don't like being touched right?" he asked with a more nervous grin now, but Rumble merely shook his head and smiled slightly. "N-No, it's okay… back then I was just…" he sighed. He did not know how to excuse his crude behavior back then, so he just went with what sounded best. "I-I'm sorry for that, okay? I didn't mean to be so-" however, he was cut off with something he didn't expect, and that was Ziggs speaking up with something he did not expect at all; "No Rumble… I'm the one sorry here." Rumble was totally baffled by Ziggs' sudden apology as he just stood there and thought about pinching himself again… what did he just say? Did he seriously say it was his fault? Ziggs would merely scratch the back of his head a little before looking around for a spot to sit down so he could explain properly. Rumble caught up on his gaze as he would quickly motion for his bed which was basically just a thick mattress stuffed away in a corner of the workshop.

"Thanks…" Ziggs mumbled as he and Rumble walked over to the mattress and sat down upon it. "Heh… I think you found the infirmary beds more comfy than this, eh?" he asked with an awkward chuckle as Rumble would still be quite shocked of Ziggs' words, yet he'd manage a nod. "W-Well, actually they… were too big for me. This one's just perfect…" he'd mumble, to which Ziggs merely nodded as he sighed. "Look… this whole ordeal's my fault Rumble. I know when I've done a mistake… an' thinking back on our days I kinda started to realize it's sorta my fault the most." He began his confession as he began to pull off his goggles. "Y'see, back then I wasn't really the most considerate Yordle… I'll say that right now." His goggles slipped off his head as he put them in his lap, his own green eyes now being fully visible. "I always thought of what was best for myself even when you an' I were fooling around… I always had plans for my future, and one day the opportunity presented itself, and I… well, I just couldn't let it slide!" he could hear Rumble let out a soft 'Tch' as he heard the truth being revealed as he was sure the blue-furred boy was just judging him for choosing Piltover over their friendship as he sighed. "Make whatever judgment ya wish, Rumble… but that won't stop the fact that I… I too felt really upset over it." This actually made Rumble turn to face him for a while. "Y'see… back then, I…"

* * *

**_"_****_F-FINE! THEN YOU KNOW WHAT, JUST GET OUT OF HERE!"_**_he remembered those words of his friend like it was just yesterday, yelling at him that he was no longer welcome in Bandle City, his words so full of anger and hatred. Ziggs didn't know how to cope with this sudden amount of anger literally steaming off of Rumble as he just stared at him with complete shock. "R-Rumble, wha-" he was interrupted as a rock whizzed over towards him which he barely blocked with his arm, his elbow flaring up in pain as it was hit as he gasped and held it tightly. "W-What the heck!?" he called out, only to see Rumble pick up a second one. "G-GET OUT OF HERE! J-JUST TURN YOUR TAIL AND LEAVE!" was he really saying this? Rumble, his best friend wanted him… out of his life? Just like that? It couldn't be true! But as the second rock sailed through the air and bounced off of his helmet, Ziggs knew that he was no longer welcome, so he would quickly just duck and make it to the front of his trolley._

_"__T-THAT'S IT! JUST RUN! Y-YOU'RE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!" Rumble's screams still echoed after Ziggs and it ached him for some strange reason just to hear these words over his back. He quickly pulled the trolley with him as he decided to just leave before things got worse. With how loud Rumble was being right now it'd only be a matter of moments before someone came and noticed them. But then, the final nail struck the coffin; "Y-Y-Y-… YOU BASTARD! Z-ZIGGS, I HATE YOU! __**I HATE YOU!"**__ This made Ziggs literally stop in his tracks for a while before just gritting his teeth in a soft hiss and dragging the trolley off with him, leaving Rumble's field of sight, and Bandle City behind him._

_When he finally was quite a distance away from Bandle City he would feel a drop of water hit his shoulder as he felt it begin to rain, and in a matter of moments it was streaming down in a soft but thick trickle as he felt his footsteps begin to drag a little bit in the mud quickly forming beneath his feet, and before he knew it he slipped in a large mud-puddle and fell right on his face. He lost his grip on the trolley but it stayed stuck in the mud as he fell down, mud splashing all over him as he just wanted to push off of the ground and keep trekking towards Piltover… but for some reason he could not. His body just felt too heavy and burdened for some reason, not wanting to respond to his mind's commands as he just stayed stuck in the mud. He felt most of the weight locating itself in his chest as he felt his heart nearly turn into a clump of lead, managing to turn himself to the side and clutch his chest tightly as if fearing his heart would turn so heavy it'd tear itself right out of his body. Then finally, his eyes welled up with tears as they soon streamed out and along his cheeks, quiet sobs being heard from Ziggs as he laid there, realizing he had not only turned his back on his past home… but his best and possibly only friend._

* * *

"So… you were not the only one… who had no one to call a friend…" Rumble spoke softly as he tried to wrap his head around that Ziggs too shared his mixed emotions, as Ziggs merely nodded. "The first few days at the Academy… it was all hell to me… especially at my first demonstration…" he sighed. "Damn invention o' mine blew up prematurely… almost blew me up in tha' process even with all tha' calculations I've made… an' I had no one else to blame but myself. And I just… got laughed at." He'd grit his teeth again and clutch his chest just like he had done in the past, and instantly Rumble reacted to it as he would reach out and hold Ziggs' arm. He didn't know why he did it, his body just… acted on its own! But he was now holding Ziggs' arm, looking at him in a very concerned manner as the two of them would just… look at each other. Both of them realized now… they had both lost their whole worlds and their view on it, but had slowly gained a lot of new experiences and life-views. But one thing still remained within them, no matter how broken it was; their friendship. Upon realizing this, Rumble was the first one who reacted as he just had his face contort to that of hints of joy, his frowning mouth turning into a small smile, and his eyes once more flooding with tears… but not tears of sadness this time. For the first time in a long while, it was tears of _joy._

"Z-Z-Ziggs…" he began, words stumbling out of his mouth as his hand squeezed firmer around Ziggs' arm, making the Dean smile a little bit. "Yeah?" he asked in response, trying to contain himself a bit better than Rumble even if his own tears too filled up with tears.

"Z-Z-Ziggs, I…" finally Rumble could not take it anymore as he just let go of Ziggs' arm only to literally throw himself onto Ziggs, surprising the other male Yordle as he was hugged oh-so tightly by the blue-furred boy, but before he could hug him in return he was shocked once more as he heard Rumble sob out loud; "Z-Ziggs I'm sorry! I-I-I'm so sorry for everything! I didn't know you… y-you had it just as hard as me! I just… I-I just…" his words were reduced to slurred bawling and sobbing as he just clutched tightly onto Ziggs, refusing to let go from his being as if he thought that if he did he would lose him forever. But Ziggs remained sitting with Rumble, having the boy wrapped around his body and his arms hesitantly hanging in the air and waiting to return the embrace… which he eventually did, his own tears falling down his brown-furred cheeks as he just pressed his chin to Rumble's head, embracing him after such a long time apart.

"Hush, Rumble… c'mon, it's gonna be alright… I'm right here… always."

* * *

**Whee. Finally the two of 'em are able to speak their minds out, eh? And next chapter will be... THE M-RATED ONE~**

**So looking forward to write it~**


	7. Mishap or Confession? - NSFW

It felt like they've sat there for hours on end just holding each other close, with Ziggs resting his chin on Rumble's head and soothingly rubbing his back whilst the cobalt-furred one just sniffled and nuzzled into his chest, still believing that if he let go his one true friend would disappear from his sight again. But time and again he was disproven of that theory as he still felt Ziggs holding onto him and resting his head upon his own. He finally would sigh as he would move away from Ziggs a bit and chuckle softly. "H-Heh… s-sorry that must've been uncomfortable for ya…" Rumble spoke bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head a little bit. Ziggs would look at this suddenly bashful Yordle as he merely grinned softly and chuckled as well. "Nah nah, yer cool… I understand if this was a real reliever fer ya, Rumby…" the moment the nickname was brought up again Rumble would not be able to hold back a blush breaking forth from his cheeks, smiling nervously as he just tried to cover it up as good as he could. "W-W-Well… y-yeah, it really was Ziggs…" As if he could see the blush hiding behind his blue-furred cheeks, Ziggs would merely grin teasingly as he'd stand up from his sitting position and walk over to his friend, jabbing his arm playfully. "H-Hey, what was that for?!" Rumble suddenly demanded, only to see Ziggs grin in that playful manner he used to do when they were kids.

"Hehe, c'mon now Rumby, get yer act together!" he spoke whilst putting on his green goggles again. "Yer blushin', I mean." He added, as that only made Rumble blush a bit more, but the moment he saw Ziggs begin to slide his goggles over his eyes… he stopped him. Holding his hand in order to halt him from pulling them down completely he would just look up at Ziggs, giving him a faint smile. "Don't… pull them down. Just yet…" he spoke softly, as Ziggs would comply in an admittedly confused manner, looking at Rumble as if something was wrong. "I-I just… it's been so long since I've actually seen your eyes, Ziggs…" great, he was going on about Ziggs' _eyes_! What was he, in love with him or something? Wait… him? _In love?__** With Ziggs?**_ It sounded so darn bizarre and weird for him to be in love with one of his old friends… but at the same time, back in Rumble's mind, it was still oh-so plausible and possible. Was this why he was so conflicted about Ziggs joining Piltover? That he had so much deeper feelings for him than just friendship? Did he really… **_love_** him? "Hey? Hey, Rumby! Yer staring into thin air!" Ziggs' voice snapped him out of it as the flustered Yordle boy merely blinked twice and looked at his friend. "O-Oh, uhm… s-sorry, I've been doing that a lot lately…"

Ziggs would nod a little before giving his friend a slap on the back which made the younger male gawk a bit from the force, only to hear Ziggs chuckle softly. "Heh, I see. Then perhaps it's 'bout time you got out for a bit an' eased up, eh?" he asked with his trademark grin towards Rumble, as the cobalt-furred Yordle merely gave Ziggs a confused look as well as a small tilt of his head. "Whaddya mean, Ziggs?" he asked as he would ease back into the usual way he spoke with Ziggs for a bit, the bomb maniac merely grinning widely. "Heheh… I saw on my way here that there's gonna be a big party at the Tavern. I'm thinkin' that you and I are gonna sign up for it!" he… he could not be serious, could he!? A party at the Tavern more than likely meant a lot of music, dancing and alcohol… all three being things that Rumble were awkwardly bad at, especially dancing and containing his alcohol.

"B-But I…" he muttered, starting with the thing first coming to his head. "I-I'm no good dancer, Ziggs…" this made Ziggs stop up a bit to just… stare back at Rumble being the nervous bundle of fluff he was. He stared for quite a while… before just grinning and laughing a bit. "Ahahahahahaha! Oh Rumble, ya silly fluff-ball! We don' need to dance if you don't wanna! I was just plannin' on chatting with some of the other Yordles cuz I know a lotta people must'a missed me!" he spoke with that same cheerful grin and laughter in his tone, firmly patting Rumble's shoulder. "But hey, if ya wanna dance I could teach ya! We had this prom back at the Academy one time… boy, was I a bad dancer back then, but at least I learned the basics!" despite being more or less offered to be taught by his friend Rumble would shake his head and just back off a bit. "N-No thanks, I am fine Ziggs… trust me, you don't wanna dance with me and my clumsy clump-feet…" he said slowly, as Ziggs merely shrugged and nodded. "Eh, your loss buddy! Well, c'mon then, let's sign up for the party!" he'd extend his hand to Rumble as he'd look down at it for a moment, then back up at Ziggs… giving him a small smile and nodding as he held his hand.

A warm feeling washed right through him when he felt his hand in Ziggs', feeling how much more calloused yet soft his palm was as this indicated he had worked a lot harder on his bombs than Rumble had worked on his machine. It was such a great feeling just to hold his hand… no, he had to get those thoughts out of his head! Just… enjoy the night that was going to come. With one final nod to Ziggs, he was whisked outdoors towards the Tavern…

* * *

Alright, he had to admit, he had no idea it was going to be this **_loud._** The music was literally blaring around him as Rumble sat awkwardly at the bar whilst everyone else seemed to have the time of their lives out on the dance floor and yet here he was thrumming his little fingers against his lap nervously. He had been talked into changing clothes for this occasion thanks to Ziggs' obnoxiousness and felt totally out of his element as he sat there in a whole lot more "casual" clothes, which also revealed a little secret about him; his black t-shirt had a huge "Pentakill" print on the front and back of it, the front holding the name as well as the logo of their album, and the backside of it having just the name imprinted in white letters. Around his waist sat a snug yet comfortable pair of dark blue shorts that had another Pentakill logo on it right on his left front pocket. He was admittedly liking the music and what-not – which was evident with him bobbing his head to the beat – but otherwise he felt really nervous about this. "HEY, RUMBY! YA GOTTA LOOSEN UP A BIT PAL!" a voice yelled out from the crowd as Ziggs was revealed… oh by Kayle what was he wearing? **_Why_** was he wearing it?!

Ziggs' outfit was anything _but_ 'casual' in any term as he looked like he was going to a higher-up conference or something; a really unstylish brown suit with light-brown stripes down along it accompanied by a white shirt just below the coat of the suit, and to top it all off he had a pair of lime-green shades over his eyes. Rumble had to admit that every time he saw Ziggs in that outfit he could not tell whether he wanted to stifle a giggle or a gag because of both how silly and ugly it looked… but Ziggs was like that all the time. Silly, that is. Not ugly… no, he was actually quite handsome now that Rumble thought of it, just dancing around on the dance-floor in front of him… once more his golden eyes just gazed over the other male, unable to tear their gaze off of him… god, he needed something to drink. He wondered if Ziggs wanted one as well as he motioned for Ziggs to come closer as the Dean would merely nod with a grin to some nearby Yordle girls. "One sec, ladies~ Be right back~" the ladies merely giggled as Ziggs moved aside and hopped up on a barstool near Rumble as the cobalt-furred boy merely groaned. "Seriously, Ziggs? That was **_so_** lame!" Rumble said as his voice was obviously in a teasing tone towards the bomber as he merely grinned that face-splitting grin of his towards him. "Heheh, c'mon now Rumble, I told ya to loosen up a lil'! At least I'm following my old advice!" he said as Rumble would merely roll his eyes at it and spin around to face the bartender. "Ya sure do Ziggs, you crazy goon… now let's get something to drink shall we? Hey! Bartender!"

* * *

==several shots later==

Whoa, the world was suddenly a dizzy place to live in… Rumble had to rub his eyes to shake himself from the groggy state he suddenly found himself in as he slowly pushed himself off from his slouched stance along the bar counter. Sure he was able to hold his alcohol, and he could've sworn he only took like… five or six shots? But the stuff was stupid strong he figured if he was so easy to go down from just so few shots. His head banged and throbbed in pain as he'd groan deeply when sitting up, noticing Ziggs nearby as he was completely crashed over the counter, more than eight shot glasses resting near him. "U-Uuahhh… Z-Ziggs?" he asked and nudged his friend in the side. No response. "Zu-Ziggs… ya gotta git'up now…" he slurred and poked harder. No response. "Won't help buddy, he's out all cold." A voice. Rumble sluggishly turned his head to see the bartender nearby. "W-Whu?" he asked as the elder Yordle chuckled. "I tried pokin' him to life earlier… ain't nothing gonna wake him up. You should take him back home, buddy. The refills are on the house if you'd like to." He said, deciding to be generous as Rumble was quick to reward him with a smile and nod. "Thu-thanks…" he muttered as he then slid off the barstool, gently pulling Ziggs off of his seat and trying not to drop him as he fell off his stool, carrying him with his arms stuck under Ziggs' armpits, then shooting forward to lock around his chest as he'd lift him. "U-Upsy-daisy…" a soft groan in his voice and he was off, the party around them not really being too distractive to him despite the noises.

When finally being out in the crisp and cold evening air however Rumble came to a cringing stop, feeling just how much colder everything felt around him as he just clattered his teeth a bit, carrying Ziggs a bit quicker as he didn't want his knocked-out buddy to get too cold. The walk was slow and tedious with carrying someone who was slightly bigger than yourself, but he would eventually reach his workshop as he would manage to pull him inside and gently put him on his mattress. After managing to lock the door Rumble sighed as he flopped over against the door and slid down along it. Boy, did he suddenly feel exhausted after that… then again he had just carried someone who was slightly bigger and heavier than him so that was a given. His drunken mind protested against moving by now but Rumble would still feel urged to move over to Ziggs and be there for him until he woke up. Pushing himself up against the door Rumble would groan anew, pushing himself forward and towards his friend on the mattress. His steps were slow and sluggish, and he felt his mind become more and more of a blur as he walked, not really thinking straight. However, as he reached Ziggs and reached out for him to see if he'd wake up… something stopped him in his tracks. A hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, giving it a firm tug. Ziggs had suddenly woken up and given him a tug firm enough for him to stumble right into the bed, landing atop his now awake – but still tipsy – friend who just gave him his same shit-eating grin.

"Mmmmhh… heya Rumby~" his voice was definitely tipsy, but also something else… it was **_sensual._** Lust-driven and suggestive. Rumble would not know what to make of the situation as he just stared at Ziggs with an empty yet flustered gaze, making the bomber pout a bit. "Aaaw, why ya so quiet, Rumby?" he cooed out, his other hand reaching over and before Rumble knew it he'd feel it press the back of his head so their faces inched closer. "Let's make some noise outta ya~" with that remark Ziggs did something that mildly put took Rumble completely off-guard; _He kissed Rumble._ Not a cutesy nose-kiss even, but a full-blown one right on the lips. Rumble muffled a gasp of surprise and tried to wriggle himself free, but he suddenly felt Ziggs' hand that had originally gripped his wrist being wrapped around his backside, pushing Rumble's body down on top of Ziggs' just as he was pushing his head into the kiss, their lips forcefully meshing with one another as Ziggs just groaned in pure bliss whilst Rumble groaned out of struggle. But the longer the lip-lock went on Rumble would find himself slowly losing track of his dislike for the whole thing… and felt himself starting to enjoy it. Yes, he was enjoying it, and he was enjoying it a lot. He soon proved it as soft groans escaped his maw as he pushed himself further into the kiss on his own free will.

"M-Mmmfhh… Z-Ziggs…~" he groaned in-between their lips colliding with each other as he soon felt his pants stirring quite a bit from the physical contact they had along with his drunken breath hitting him in the face in-between their kissing. "Mmmhhh… yeah Rumby~? Gettin' a little hot and bothered are ya~?" suddenly, a paw on his crotch made the mechanic yelp and back up a little bit, but the firm hand kept groping him as Rumble ended up having a fit of moans as the bulge only grew bigger. "Heeeeh~ You're packin' quite a lot there I see!" he grinned in his drunken sexual stupor, the cobalt-furred Yordle only blushing and sitting there stupidly, not knowing what to do now. Stop him, or let him proceed? He was too stiff both in body and groin to actually move anywhere so in the end he had to let him move on with whatever he had in mind, which admittedly the Yordle did not know would be enjoyable or not. But in the end his bulging hard-on was craving attention, and he would be given that as Ziggs quickly unzipped his shorts and yanked them down to the blue Yordle's ankles. A quick gasp was all Rumble could muster as Ziggs went right for his white – somewhat dirty – boxer-shorts underneath which were pried down a little, allowing his admittedly big and heavy shaft flop out, semi-erect it was a good five inches long and almost two across, but it was still growing fully erect.

"Aaw yeah, yer a big one~" Ziggs said with a wild tipsy grin as he saw the fat shaft before him, leaning down to it to give it a few experimental licks over the tip which made Rumble involuntarily buck his hips from the sensation, the full hardening of his cock adding another inch to the shaft and making it a grand total of six inches. "Ah-ah-aaah, Rumby! So sensitive, ehehehehe… let's enjoy this~" Ziggs would giggle slightly as he would keep slurping his tongue over the shaft, the bomber – whilst admittedly being tipsy – feeling the musky taste all over his taste-buds as he just craved more. The mechanic would then get the sudden feeling of Ziggs' mouth being all over his tip and the first inch and a half of his shaft, the warm, slimy feeling of his maw's interior sending chills up Rumble's spine as his hips jerked forward once more as if having been electrocuted. "A-Aagh..! Z-Ziggs!" he'd grunt softly through the messy blowjob Ziggs now gave him, lips softly curling and tongue lapping over his tip and first half or so now. The saliva was slowly drooling out of Ziggs' maw as his tipsiness wasn't helping him a lot in keeping things clean, the cold spit coating Rumble's cock quickly and helping him push it further into his mouth, letting Rumble experience more ecstasy-bringing warmth that was his friend's mouth.

"Z-Ziggs~!" he'd groan again, his shaft throbbing in Ziggs' maw as a nice dollop of pre-cum shot right into his mouth and coated his tongue in its salty goodness. The Hexplosives Expert would merely grin through the sloppy blowjob he was giving as he slurped the pre up like it was nectar for him, suckling on his friends' shaft a bit harder just to get a little bit more of it into his mouth. The poor blue Yordle did not know what he was going to say about this the day after… other than that he enjoyed it immensely right now! "N-Nnffhh… a-aah~ Z-Ziggs, I… n-ngh!" he'd clench his teeth shut as he bit his lower lip, his orgasm steadily racing to the top as Ziggs kept working on his shaft, but just as he felt his balls churning up for the unloading of his cum-shot… Ziggs stopped.

"Mwah~" he popped his lips off of the mechanic's cock with a slurping pop, making a soft kissing noise at the end of it as he just grinned messily at Rumble. "Heheh… time fer the best part~" he suddenly hopped right up on top of Rumble which earned a soft 'oof' from his friend, straddling his belly with his rump aimed for the rock-hard and saliva-slobbered shaft, then reached back to pull his pants down just enough to expose his tailhole. Wiggling his butt down onto the wet shaft Ziggs would be heard moaning as Rumble saw him arc his back a little, and then slide his ass down fully onto the cock. Rumble was once more caught off-guard and washed over with ecstatic bliss once Ziggs' tailhole fully slid over his shaft and popped inside of him. "G-Gaaah~! O-oooh god, Rumby, yer so thick~!" that shit-faced grin was still on Ziggs' features, but it also had a look of pure pleasure on it through his drunken state, tongue lolling out to the side of his mouth as he slowly bounced himself on Rumble's cock.

The mechanic did seriously not know what to do right now. The tightness of his friend's ass was so delightful to him and he did not want it to stop… particularly because he had been denied orgasm from the abrupt end of the blowjob, but at the same time it felt so wondrous to have Ziggs' tight hole around his cock. But would he let it continue or would he try and stop Ziggs' advances on him? He did not want to be rude on him or anything, but at the same time he would just want to shove him off his crotch! But then Ziggs began to raise himself, and Rumble thought he was in the green… only to let out a groan of pleasure as Ziggs slammed himself back down on the shaft, letting out a yelp of pleasure. "G-Ghah~! O-Ooo yeah, definitely a thick lil' yordle~" Ziggs grinned messily at Rumble. "Let's start the cock-ride~" Oh for the love of the Mothership that sounded so wrong, but Ziggs was drunk so he cared less about it as he'd just resume moving up along Rumble's shaft and slam himself down. Rise, slam, rinse and repeat in a slow, yet lustful manner.

"Z-Z-Zigg-gaaah~! Z-Ziggs, s-stop it~! S-S-Seriously, I'm about to…" Rumble hissed through clenched teeth as each pump from Ziggs' riding body now made him spurt pre inside of his ass, lubing him up for a much smoother ride as the two yordles just kept it all up, with Ziggs dominantly riding Rumble and the mechanic not being able to do anything else but lie down in orgasmic bliss as it rose up along his body again, crawling up his spine slowly. "I-I'm gunna…-"

"Yeah, Rumby~?"

"G-Gonna… n-nngh~!"

"C'mon Rumby… **_EXPLODE~_**"

"G-Gon-g-ggh~! G-Gonna… C-CUM~!"

And finally he blasted off, the yordle's blue balls tensing up to his loins as his cock spasmed inside of Ziggs' rump and shot off several thick, juicy ropes of seed right up his ass as it was not too much by human standards, but for a yordle he might as well have been cumming like a hose. Ziggs' expression grew less excited and more hazed-over, his tongue hanging lazily now as he just relished in being filled with Rumble's essence, before he finally flopped over and off his now messy dick, panting as he fell face-first into the bed near Rumble and slowly began snoring himself to sleep. Rumble just laid there, shocked to disbelief at what had happened as he just breathed slowly and heavily, his breathing now being rugged pants of exhaustion as his dick twitched a few moments before turning limp.

He just quickly pulled his underwear back on and discarded the pants, turning over as he laid near Ziggs with his back facing the other yordle as he could not believe what had happened, but it did;

He – forcibly – had sex with Ziggs.

His best friend.

…

…

And it felt _good._

* * *

**Alright, woo~! Finally the NSFW chapter is here like it was foreshadowed. Man, it took longer than I expected, eheh. Please no bashing. o/o**

**Either way, I will try and get more into gear with this story since I do have more ideas for it now, and will try and incorporate them into this story as good as I can. Not all will get involved, but hey, at least I'll try.**


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